Snow On Tha Bluff Trailer. Is it real?

04.09.11 | by Jay CcloseAuthor: Jay CName: Jay CSite:About: Jay loves the films of Werner Herzog, Errol Morris and The Maysles, and is currently in production on his own first feature-length documentary Beauty Day.

WAAAAYYYYY back in January, I remember Snow On Tha Bluff standing out amongst the Slamdance Film Festival lineup as one of the more puzzling films. Much like Catfish at Sundance the year previous, director Damon Russell’s raw look at the life and times of career criminal Curtis Snow has drawn questions of truth from those looking out for such things. I think this case is slightly different considering the fact that the film was listed as part of the festival’s dramatic narrative competition. Still, Russell has remained somewhat ambiguous about whether or not this film can be classified as ‘non-fiction’, claiming in the offiicial press kit that they “have been advised by legal counsel that in order to protect ourselves and everyone in the film, we should not divulge this information.” Based on the synopsis, I can see why:

SNOW ON THA BLUFF is the story of, Atlanta robbery boy and crack dealer, Curtis Snow who steals a camera from some college kids in a dope deal and begins documenting his life. At first, it’s business as usual for Curt. He robs dope boys, he runs from the cops, and he sells drugs, all while trying to provide for his baby momma and 2-year-old son. But when one of the drug dealers he ripped off comes back for revenge, things in Curt’s life spirals out of control.

So…is it real? Based on the trailer, it seems pretty clear that the film contains a combination of staged and true events. The only real question it raises for me is whether or not to post the trailer here or over at Film Junk. For the sake of subverting documentary expectations and starting a conversation, I decided this was the place to do it. You can find out more info about the film at the official website. Go ahead and share your thoughts on the trailer in the comments section.

80 Comments

On 04.09.11 Allen Cadwell said:

I’m always interested in movies that are different. This film certainly fits the bill. I’m curious to know where I can purchase this?

On 04.09.11 Rya said:

My friend saw this film at Slamdance, he said the story was surprisingly good! very real, he’s from ATL, told me this movie is one of a kind when it comes to portraying how it really is down there in the hood

Atlanta gangster Curtis Snow robs some rich city folk of their camera and makes a movie about himself, his crew, and their gangster lifestyle. If you’re as square a saltine as I am, you’re going to miss fully 70% of this film’s dialog – Snow and his crew speak loudly, quickly, and all on top of one another in a very difficult to decipher Atlanta ghetto slang. This is not, however, a flaw. You’ll never be too lost, as the film does a commendable job of bringing you the plot without the dialog’s help.

On 04.28.11 Drew Minnes said:

When does this come out on DVD? Who’s got the link? Curtis Snow looks to be a wild individual, where’d they get the machinegun!?

On 05.03.11 bizness said:

I kno curt and the rest of the cast personally like we went to school together we ran the streets together me and blo rap together and I can honestly tell u I don’t kno when they actin and when shit get real lol good job bra tonio would be proud of u bra zone1 simpset 5th ward bluff vine city $ drive we all in here

On 05.04.11 Jacob said:

Fascinating take on the gangster genre.

On 05.14.11 R20 said:

GREAT MOVIE, I was really intrigued after I heard about it on the radio in the morning, watched the movie, and I was shocked. It’s incredibly badass and I think the filmmakers did a great job at bring this film alive.

On 06.06.11 Jy said:

THIS MOVIE WAS DOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On 06.17.11 Pill said:

wats happenin curtis snow, congrats on yo movie

On 07.06.11 Cah111 said:

He seems to walk the walk. I’m going to look out for this film.

On 07.10.11 Herberh said:

This movie shines light on a section of society that many ignore, is this really a documentary? Or is this a calling card for violence? What is it? Hybrid documentary? Narrative? It kinda scares me, I’m wondering if they got in trouble making this film…. I wouldn’t let my kids see this movie.

On 08.25.11 ya said:

I caught this film in New york city, at the NY LATINO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, it was dope.

Well, it’s hard to say if it’s real. Years back i saw a very similar movie called “Gang tapes”. The beginning is almost the same. A couple of black guys rob a family driving through a wrong neighborhood. One of them takes the camera and use it the rest of the movie to capture certain stuff and elements.

On 06.20.12 asjflkasjf said:

The only real reason most people will find Curtis Snow interesting is because he’s intelligent. Intelligent men who are ‘trapped in thug/street life’ always stand out as fascinating. Unfortunately, he’s still terribly ignorant, and woefully unaware of his phenomonal potential. Very interesting and very sad.

On 07.01.12 yan said:

just finish watching love it brought back lots of old memory love to find other similar movies if anyone has any suggestion it be apreciated thx

On 07.09.12 Boogie said:

I got the movie and I swear I watch it a million times. Snow definitely did his thing….big ups to tha bluff! Im waitin for a part 2, Snow is a real g and I gotta give hom his props. If this film is real I send my condolences to his family for the loss of his baby momma.

The movie/documentary was very interesting . Curtis reminded me of close peeps of mine from the streets .I believed every part in the movie was real cause it fire down in every hood. Big how Curtis Snow

On 07.22.12 aja said:

I’m watching the movie while I’m posting this. This is like my 5th Time watching this
Its Crazy but true these are things that are really happening in our
Hoods. He was robbing and shooting……….and then karma caught him off
Gaurd. Now there’s another child with one Parent.

On 07.24.12 deemerf said:

Overall nothing to love or hate about this. Star ratings can’t be applied here. I felt all human emotions watching this one. It’s a look at the civil war happening everyday in our American streets. I’m reading these post, and see how some people are disconnected. I pray this won’t be just entertainment for anyone and that this production won’t be in vain.

On 07.28.12 teezy said:

this sh1t tough. wake up people this type stuff is happening in your hood or down the street from yo big @ss house.

On 07.31.12 Jr ray said:

It’s on Netflix!

On 08.01.12 Moya said:

It very real I’m from the same hood and his baby moms did get murked!

On 08.03.12 b said:

I live in the bluffs, this shit is real everyday activity no joke

On 08.05.12 derrick said:

Hard 2 watch. More emotional than the Wire. As a father of 2 sons 3 and 1 i worry about them constantly. And am proud i moved my family to the sububs in a gated community. But I’m not naieve i know drama happens everywhere. Not sure if this is real or not but the fact remain s it does happen.

On 08.05.12 jsc said:

I watch this on Netflix!! Awesome movie!

On 08.05.12 LB said:

Excellent portrayal of parts of ATL. I used to be an ICU nurse in ATL and worked at Grady in the Rape Crisis Center. This type of violence and behavior is real and common.

On 08.11.12 Dee said:

This movie was amazing, once I started watching it I said to myself this is what going on in most inner city neighborhoods, this is real life people.Everyone should see this and wake up.By the way I saw it on Netflix.

On 08.12.12 Philly said:

Niggas like this give us a bad name…

On 08.13.12 sunshine said:

trapping in the burbs, easy.

On 08.13.12 Melissa said:

I have this movie SNOW ON THE BLUFF, the stuff that be going on do be happening in different part in every state! But i feel they did so much wrk on this flim to make it look like he is actually recording right then n there like as he really stole dat recorder.. I love this movie n they did a wonderful job.. I KNW HE WOULDN’T RECORD HIM SELF killing ANY ONE N USING DRUGS so dat crackaZ can find it n lock his ass fa life!

On 08.13.12 Melissa said:

The part when he gt lock up n did 4 months n den said da crackaz tlkin bout giving hym 5 years, i feel da movie was recorded before or after he did 5 yrs cuz if u look hym up on Atlanta correction he did gt 5 n da charges was on wat he said dey wntd hym fa

On 08.15.12 young slim said:

snow on tha bluff, one of tha realist movies i ever seen. i put it in tha catagory with “shottas”. good film with raw detail and i crazy cuz its like that in west atlanta foreal tho. i hope curt get sum money form doing tha documentary.

On 08.17.12 Butta said:

I thought the beggining and end of the film was obviously staged overall i thought the movie was nonfiction bc i dont knw too many criminals that dont question why someone wants to film them…with that being said i dont think anyone would publish their own death wish

On 08.17.12 Butta said:

sorry correction that was suppose to say i thought the film was FICTION!

On 08.17.12 Tlo goon said:

The movie was unbelieveable I just wonna kno that that w was it a real movie or based on a true story stuff like that goes down in saint louis missouri every day saint louis and atlanta have alot in common curtis snow remind me of one of my home boys much love and sorry for the loss

On 08.23.12 fivelights said:

Just the simple fact that I read every single one of these comments and Im STILL unsure if its fiction or nonfiction makes this an excellent must see movie.

This is some real shit i fucks wit dude tha long way it took a real person to film wat goes on in tha trap….. yes this is real alot of editing…..if u pay attention at the begining of the film he said this is where my baby mama got killed so yes alot of it is renact but its a good truth and for niggas talkin bout u see my hood on cnn or a&e yes we do because the Heat play there….

On 09.03.12 Realness said:

FAKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE allll Staged…….

On 09.13.12 Flowwa said:

I love THIS MOVIE,,,,I DNT THINK ITS FAKE

On 09.25.12 DaChef said:

This movie is as good as City of God in comparison to other gritty,raw street tales. I was born and raised an East side resider,the Bluff has always had a reputation for this type of activity. The film touched me in more ways than one because so many relatives,loved ones and friends of mine have been”about this life”….that footage rings true for far too many inner city Atlanta residents. Two thumbs up….street certified.

I thought the film was sincere 4 the most part, although i could tell ona alot of parts where they were acting. This is what happends what will happen if society loses the value of the u s dollar. There will be civil unrest everywhere like this because every1 has to eat everyday. I can’t say if its real or not, but I can say this type of stuff happends everyday in every state, so it wouldn’t be a stretch at all 4 it to be real. Also with all the millions of dead animals, and the rivers and lakes turning blood red, We are about to experience Revelations from the bible.Read Revelations and google the events from the bible. THERE EVERYWHERE!!! Nows your one and only time to save your soul from hell. Turn from your sins before its to late brothers and sisters. God bless everyone.

On 10.30.12 Tyler Seven said:

This movie is real you idiots, the director can’t release if its real or not because if he states it is real Curtis and all his friends are subject to every crime commited in the movie.

On 11.27.12 jtr said:

I wouldn’t be too surprised if some scenes were genuine but I can say with 100% certainty that the scene where Curtis shoots at white hats girlfriend was staged. The gun used in the scene is a blank gun designed to resemble an uzi. You can tell the difference between the blank gun and a real uzi by looking at the grip and the lack of a folding stock on the grip. You can get a clear look at it about 48 minutes into the movie when they’re loading it in the car. I have links to pictures below that show the difference between the Voltran Ekol uzi blank gun and a real uzi.

Well I must say this video put me n line. Im frm 912 n I knw y ma fam frm but dam i cried kuz it hurt hurt n u knw if u knw wats real n wats not but u knw u knw wats real.. Bullets are real. Praying for th children kuz we all start that way.he was born like this. Crack kills n sux kuz everyone who knws bouthis is touched n sadden buy lost of life that never seen it suffered the most baby n baby ma dam. Truly touched.

On 12.12.12 Jay said:

While there is little doubt about the validity of the characters and the area, this is still a movie. It straddles the line between documentary and drama.

It’s actually similar to another “stolen camera” movie that was set in Los Angeles.

On 12.16.12 L Thomas said:

Great movie. I was on the edge of my seat. I can’t really tell what is real or faked. It is emotional, entertaining, explosive. Thought provoking look into reality. I will recommend this film. I look forward to more like it.

On 12.19.12 lmae said:

I saw this and it appeared very real. If it is real, my heart goes out to the children. I hope that Curtis finds a better way in life for him and his son and break that cycle. It seems to me that they are just trying to survive and that’s all they know be-cuz that’s what they have all grow up with. I’m not a head doc or anything like that, I just can speak from my own experience. All those children you seen in that video, that’s their future. Until someone is strong enough to break the cycle of that lifestyle. Good luck to you and all yours.

On 12.26.12 kandy*Land said:

I watch’d this movie twice.. im luv’n tha way curtis talk tho.. but im a bit confused :::i wanna kno is this some triLL shit or not if it is what tha fck happn to “SNOW” Like di this foo move on wit his Life or What ?? !!!

On 01.05.13 Marlon said:

There is absolutely NOTHING great about this movie —- at all — and the attempts to hold it up as some work of art are utterly ridiculous. Curtis Snow and people like him are destroying communities filled with people who just want to live in peace (to actually work real jobs and wake up to their families in the morning). Cutting drugs and cussing in front of kids; excessive drinking and drug use; robbery and murder — it’s all do depressing. And, I don’t want to hear that it’s just a ‘way of life’ on the bluff because its clearly the “way of death”.

Why these young women chose to get involved in this life is equally disturbing. They make babies with D-boys knowing that its an introduction into a horrible life that could leave the mother dead (maybe even the babies) and in the worst scenario possible, the babies are left to be raised by drug dealers who are not only unprepared/unqualified to be fathers, but have NO DESIRE to be “real” fathers.

My hope is that this will cause the city of Atlanta to work harder to clean up that area (around Clark Atlanta). People are sending their kids to college in the midst of drugs and violence. Horrible. IF YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE – DON’T BUY IT…. STEAL IT!!! Isn’t that what “snow” would do? (yes, that was intentionally hypercritical and ironic)

On 03.06.13 Unnamed said:

Camara angles too clean some seines too coincidental and obvious set ups in my opinion at least %80 of this film was staged and possibly all of it. For instance how did a little video 8mm video camera catch the audio in the meeting in the parking lot. Also why when Curtis got shot did the gun man totally disregard the guy filming? Also in the end you can totally see the set up when the camera focus on the the car turning on the head lights in an obvious conclusion to a classic follow and car chase in most action movies. First sene is also an obvious set up too. The white kids sound as staged as rookie actors probably from the local collage. Also the sene when Curtis is mourning in the bed room who is filming? I call fiction.

More than 12,000 de-icers and snow sweepers are out on the streets, working around the clock.”

On 02.17.14 901 snowflake said:

I grew up in Memphis. In grade school, I was fascinated and intrigued by the allure of ‘thug-life.’ What a foolish child I was. And what it cost me was any chance of being what I know I’m capable of doing. There are no doctors, nurses, or lawyers with a criminal record. These people, rolemodels, make big money because they worked DAMNED hard and long for it; the legal, morally correct, socially productive, and helpful way. What this film was to me, fiction or non, was 90 of the most depressing minutes I’ve ever sat through. Talk about a dejecting walk down misery, memory lane. It is a stark reminder of the fact that there still are, unfortunately, large groups of people who TRULY do not care about their neighbor, family, friends. The miserable collective teaming-up is self serving only, and because of that utter and complete selfishness many lives are disrupted, destroyed, and ultimately lost. Filming, originality, grit, etcetera, be damned; this is one of the saddest films I’ve ever watched. What’s worst about this? All the comments above. Ghettos claim that the man holds them back. True to a certain extent in the past. Nowdays the only thing keeping this cycle going is a complete lack of caring for one another. Inconsideration and selfishness. Refusal to take the long road home. I pray for an end to all this sadness, loss, and untimely death. Unfortunately it is simply going to keep on and on until those that are in this situation make the personal decision to break the cycle. No one said it easy. I am a testament to that fact. It has taken me well over ten years of HARD work to get to where I am today. I don’t have much BUT, I testify too that it is possible to get out and above the influence. Be mad that I’m typing the truth. I hope it stings like a bee. Brutal honesty is truth in communication. That being said, allow me this parting quote, “There is NOTHING easy on this planet that is worth doing or celebrating.” Take the high road, break this cycle of heartache and tragedy.

On 02.20.14 anonymous said:

@Bizness your such a liar you dont know them…

On 03.03.14 morden said:

reminds me of my hometown Hartford Connecticut from 94 to 98 it was the WoW Wow West out here and Curtis snow reminds me of we always acting like between 94 and 98 Wow West hooligans it Hartbitty City

On 03.31.14 Champ24 said:

crazy movie

On 05.19.14 TINA said:

I JUST WATCHED THIS MOVIE OVER THE WEEKEND AND I AM REALLY WONDERING IF THIS IS REAL.. BUT HONESTLY FROM I BELIEVE IT IS.

On 06.22.14 Ryan said:

This is basically Gang tapes, but in Atlanta.

On 07.15.14 Tf said:

People watch this and act amazed like that nigga said in the movie it’s in his family i know niggas who roll around in whips like 5 deep with 3-5 pistols and sk’s. I know a niggga who was sleeping in his crib and a dude ran into his house an shot him straight in the back for 3 pounds tho. This shit is 100% real the movie might be fake but i don’t doubt this movie is either real or a story of what he really has done. This shit ain’t a joke people robbing selling drugs all day long it’s there lifestyle. And the rich ass people in the suburbs and shit trap and think it’s easy but nobody out there is crazy enough to kill yo family over some drugs out here that’s all we got to fuckin survive so it’s kill or be killed honestly

On 09.17.14 ria said:

This is real

On 09.17.14 ria said:

He had a choice …he choose to do it

On 10.24.14 Buh said:

Mayne,im not from the streets..but i KNOW the stretts and many of people in/from there. i dont think it ALL was real, BUT, i will say that i have seen things similar to this type of activity go on. My brother does these “activities” and he was just threatened by his “friends” to run up in his house and “I” felt threatned and was ready to do somehting about it because that my BROTHER (i AM my brother’s keeper) but thats not my role on earth. Curtis just gained my up-most repect because he basically showed me that you have to do to survive in the “Skreetz” lol but BIG UPs Curt!

On 11.19.14 Smash said:

I guarantee y’all, on everything, that was real. Coming from the west side this was EXACTLY the shit that goes down In the neighborhoods in and around the bluff. This is how they live, talk dress. Everything it couldn’t have gotten anymore realer. The interactions among the people in the neighborhood and how they get down everyday can not be duplicated unless you’re there living it. The reason it’s a mystery is because they gonna let real recognize real and let the question float around so they can protect themselves- and leave something to constantly think about

On 11.19.14 Smash said:

Once again- the people and scenarios can not be duplicated. They may have added some “fluff” to the bluff to fill In gaps like when Curtis is walkin around his people really feelin himself cus the camera is there lmao I get it…But it’s gotta be understood these people have never left the streets they live on. They can’t go find people to act or duplicate how they live that’d be impossible to be explained. They was really there living that movie-

On 01.13.15 backpacker said:

This movie portrays total scumbags with no excuse. these guys are the scourge of america. Sucks people think they are cool….

speak up

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